Tender zucchini are stuffed with a filling of fresh and flavorful raw cauliflower "couscous" in this no cook vegan stuffed zucchini.
Zucchini has been on the menu quite a bit around here lately, which always seems to be the case around this time of year.
And when they’re as fresh and tender as they have been, there’s no reason to even cook them. The slender ones have an especially creamy interior that make them the perfect candidates for being eaten raw.
What's in them?
These particular stuffed zucchinis are filled with a mixture of raw spinach and cauliflower “couscous” dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. I throw in a good quantity of fresh mint, oregano, garlic and olives along with some lemon zest for extra brightness.
It’s an easy dish that comes together quickly, which is always welcome when you’re short on time. The lengthiest part of the whole thing is the salting which helps to soften and tenderize the zucchini even further before stuffing so don’t skip it! The filling can even be made ahead of time and the zucchini stuffed right before serving.
More Raw Recipes:
Raw Vegan Stuffed Zucchini
Tender zucchini are stuffed with a filling of fresh and flavorful cauliflower "couscous" in this no cook vegan stuffed zucchini.
Ingredients
- 6 small to medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
- The zest of half a lemon
- The juice of one large lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Coarse sea salt
- ½ a medium sized head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, thinly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
- ¼ cup/45g black olives (like kalamata), pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup/30g raw pine nuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and pulp from the center. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt evenly over the zucchini. Place the salted zucchini face down on a shallow dish and set aside for at least 15-20 minutes to drain.
- In the meantime make the filling. Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Place the cauliflower florets into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Don't over-process, you want a fluffy texture with grain-sized pieces)
- Add the chopped cauliflower, to the dressing and toss to combine. Add in the chopped spinach, finely chopped herbs and chopped black olives and toss again.
- Flip salted zucchini halves over and wipe dry with a clean cloth. Spoon cauliflower stuffing into each zucchini half, top with pine nuts and serve immediately.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, Raw
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 232mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Kelly @ The Nourishing Home says
gorgeous! this recipe looks absolutely wonderful. such a great way to use summer squash! thank you for sharing! 🙂
sippitysup says
Yes I love this recipe. I eat raw zucchini a lot. It's even better than cooked. GREG
Kate @ Diethood says
The filling sounds amazing!! If all raw food was this good, I'd eat it all the time!
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Light and healthy, perfect summer recipe! I love zucchini boats. So fun to see a new version of recipe that we can give it a try! 🙂
Michelle says
Fabulous. I must try these soon and will since I am about to have more zucchini than I know what to do with.
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says
These are a beautiful way to make your summer dinner just perfect! I love them! I found you from facebook! Glad to connect I host a weekly GF recipe link up that goes live Thursday nights at 7 pm eastern. Bloggers come and link up their fav GF recipes, I've love to have you stop by!
Catherine @ Chocolate & Vegetables says
Filing this away under "awesome summer lunch ideas"--looks fantastic.
Tom @ Raise Your Garden says
You're correct when you say that this is the time of they year zuchhini is abundant. Here in Buffalo, NY we have about six pinky sized one's in the garden with tons of flowers that will be producing soon. It take a little longer here. After a few weeks I need a new zucchini rendition. Here it is. It's different from the norm and looks really good. Printing recipe and making latter.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I often stuffed zucchini with couscous and grill it on cedar planks so I'm loving your raw version with the fresh herbs and pine nuts!
Maria | Pink Patisserie says
So, pretty, healthful and mouthwatering! I love all those gorgeous flavors..